As Pennsylvania and New Jersey prepare to pull the tab on new forms of gambling — small games of chance in taverns and online betting by casinos, respectively — we’re seeing a new form of political infighting generated by the expansion of gambling. There many be countless ways to split the wagering pie, but there’s only so much filling.

New Jersey’s entry into legalized Internet gambling debuts next month. So far five casinos have received licenses to offer online games, in an attempt to re-energize Atlantic City and recoup a share of the online dollars that flow untaxed to offshore sites.

In comparison, the small-games debate in Pennsylvania may seem like a penny-ante proposition, but to the private social clubs and public bars involved, it’s closer to an all-in call.

On Wednesday the state Senate approved a bill that would allow Pennsylvania bar owners to run small games of chance — pull-tabs, raffles, drawings and the like — with limits on bets and payouts. Sixty percent of the licensee’s profits from the games would go to the state.

This expansion makes sense, considering that many establishments dabble in small games anyway. In many cases proceeds go to charities or sports teams the bar owner sponsors. It doesn’t make sense to send Liquor Control Board agents and state police to raid neighborhood taverns over small games when VFW posts, fire companies, ethnic clubs and other private social organizations are permitted to run them legally.

But private clubs — which are seeking approval to increase small-game prizes and add a few more offerings — don’t necessarily see it that way. Many are fighting for survival and had lobbied lawmakers to allow them to legalize what for generations had been a tradition of low-level gambling. This also served as something of a lifeline to clubs in an era of slots and table games at state-sanctioned casinos.

The Senate bill recognizes that bars and taverns could use the extra revenue too. Yet almost as soon as the Senate approved the bill, 39-11, expecting a smooth ride to the governor’s pen, Republican House leaders called a time-out to raise some objections. Minority Democrats aren’t happy with Republicans’ closed negotiations over any expansion of gambling. And Gov. Tom Corbett, worried that the bill could dilute revenues for senior citizen programs, said he wants the state’s share of small-games profits to go to the lottery fund instead of the general fund.

These are differences that can be ironed out. A separate bill by state Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Lehigh-Northampton-Monroe, which would legalize small sports betting pools in clubs, also deserves passage. Boscola’s bill would allow sports pools with bets of $20 or less and no more than 100 participants, as long as all proceeds go back to the contestants.

Any gambling expansion has to be weighed for its potential to increase impulsive betting — yet small games have been around for ages, legal or not. And while it make sense to extend them to public establishments, these changes mandate a new round of record-keeping for the state, clubs and bars. Corbett is right to want to scrutinize the added bureaucratic cost before signing off on any bills. If new forms of gambling simply flatten overall revenue and create more regulation, it won’t be much of an advance.